Wednesday, February 23, 2011

MACON, Ga. – The Atlantic Sun Conference announced the full schedule of contests for the Men’s and Women’s General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Basketball Championships, beginning Wednesday, March 2 and concluding on Saturday, March 5 from Mercer’s University Center.

The Championship features four games each on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The quarterfinals take place over two days with the top two seeds in each bracket facing the seventh and eighth seeds in Wednesday play. Women’s top seed ETSU opens the championship at Noon. The Lady Buccaneers will attempt to join FIU as the only A-Sun programs to win four consecutive conference championships. FIU captured titles from 1992 through 1995.

Belmont, which has clinched the men’s regular-season crown, looks to return to the NCAA Tournament after a two-year absence beginning at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday. ETSU’s men have claimed the past two A-Sun Championships. The Bucs open at 9 p.m. on Wednesday. Three women’s programs, Stetson, UNF and Campbell remain alive for the second seed. The second women’s quarterfinal, featuring the second seed against the seventh seed tips off at 6:30 p.m.

Thursday action opens with a No. 4/No. 5 women’s matchup at Noon. Jacksonville has secured the fifth seed. The Dolphin men face the sixth seed at 2:30 p.m. The evening session opens with a women’s contest between the third and sixth seeds at 6:30 p.m. The final quarterfinal features the host Mercer men taking on Lipscomb. Results for this weekend’s games will determine the seedings for the Bears and Bisons.

All eight quarterfinal contests air on ASun.TV, free of charge. Kennesaw State’s upset of top-seeded Lipscomb last season drew more than 10,000 viewers on ASun.TV.

Semifinal Friday features women’s contests at Noon and 2:30 p.m. The winner of the No. 1/No. 8 game and No. 4/No. 5 game meet in the first semifinal followed by the winners from the No. 2/No. 7 and No. 3/No. 6 games. The men’s semifinal games tip at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. The first semifinal features the winner of the No. 1/No. 8 game and No. 4/No. 5 game followed by the winners from the No. 2/No. 7 and No. 3/No. 6 games. CSS will carry all four contests. Fans outside CSS markets can purchase all the semifinal games, plus the women’ title game, on ASun.TV for $9.99.

Championship Saturday opens with the women’s title game at Noon on CSS and ASun.TV. The men play at 6 p.m. on ESPN2 and available on ESPN3.com. Last year’s Mercer-ETSU title game featured one of only four title games played in a sold-out campus venue.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts five of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.